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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. object — an aim
  3. spring — of water
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. tear — to rip
  8. spring — a coil
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — for light
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. object — a thing
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. tear — from crying
  16. board — to get on
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. toast — bread
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. tear — from crying
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. spring — the season
  24. object — to protest

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com